Thursday, July 08, 2010

Yes, it’s a direct ripoff of Esquire but I doubt if my choices match theirs.

GINA BELLMAN – If you just watch her on LEVERAGE you won’t know that in the British version of COUPLING she was absolutely hilarious. Somehow can play both sexy and goofy at the same time. I don’t know how she does that.

ELENA KAGAN – Handled the confirmation hearing with aplomb and humor and resisted the strong temptation to call Rep. Senator Tom Coburn a fucking moron for asking her if a law could be passed forcing Americans to eat fruits and vegetables. She has more willpower than me, that’s for damn sure.

JANE LYNCH – Quite possibly the funniest actress currently on the planet. And not just for her work on GLEE. She steals every show she’s in. Check her out in 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN.

RACHEL MADDOW -- She’s that super smart friend that doesn’t make you feel dumb (even though you are). A fair and balanced political commentator, which makes her something of a revelation these days. When asked her political affiliation she said, "I'm undoubtedly a liberal, which means that I'm in almost total agreement with the Eisenhower-era Republican party platform."

JULIE BOWEN – MODERN FAMILY’S “Claire”. There’s no more thankless role for an actress than the “voice-of-reason TV mom” but Julie nails it. She’s funny, she’s real, and maybe it’s just me but I find her hotter than “Gloria”.

MICHELE TAFOYA – Still the best woman sportscaster out there, even if she can’t dance.

ELIZABETH BANKS – First saw her in WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER and thought, “Wow! This girl is funny!” Only later in the movie did I realize, “Oh, and she’s also beautiful”. But it’s that “funny” thing that makes her a 10.MARISA TOMEI – Somehow never ages.

DIABLO CODY – JUNO was not a fluke. I miss her commentaries in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY.

MARY LYNN RAJSKUB – Her “Chloe” was the most original character on television. I know they don’t teach “exasperation, looking bored, eye rolling, and perpetual scowling” in charm school but they sure work for Mary Lynn. She’s also a great guitarist.

Is it just me, or is publishing a list titled Women I Love on one's anniversary kinda...well, insensitive? A great list, no argument there... But maybe Debby deserves to be at the top. Unless, of course, she's made up her own list of Men I Love. In which case, I'd love to know where Ken comes in.

IMDb has an in-production movie listed for Jane Lynch called Paul. Also starring Seth Rogen and Jason Bateman. My guess is that Jane will also steal the show on this one too. The plot description is "Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51." I wouldn't have given it a second glance were it not for Jane's involvement.

Aha!! You let the "cat" out of the bag. With your revelation of loving Ms. Deely you tell us that you do watch "So You Think You Can Dance." So, don't you agree that the show is probably the best talent competition on the air? It's innovative, has taken the art of dance and moved it forward with the fusion of different genres. It has genuinely talented contestants who are amazing athletes.

The judges are real experts who've all put in their time in the trenches as dancers. Their comments are usually spot on and helpful.

Ironically, my one criticism is with Cat Deely. She has, up to this season, been fabulous. Now, I find, she's become a little too aware of how adorable she is and just is "too, too cute" sometimes.

Until this post, and a quick trip to imdb, I would have bet real money that Parker Posey was in Wet Hot American Summer. Have she and Elizabeth Banks ever been seen in the same room at the same time? Because I'm convinced that they're the same person.

I think you missed the point of Coburn's question about the government having the power to force people to eat three vegetables a day. He was attempting to discover whether Ms Kagan's judicial philosophy allowed for the Supreme Court to overturn laws that obviously expanded the power of government far beyond the limits of the Constitution, like the new health insurance mandates (i.e., can the government force us to do virtually anything, as long as they cite the excuse that it's good for us and saves the health care system money?)

Her evasive response implied that just because Congress passed an idiotic, overreaching law, that didn't mean that the Court should do its Constitutional duty and uphold the rights of the people by overturning it. That didn't reflect badly on Coburn; it was a frightening glimpse of her views on the limits (or lack thereof) of government power over the freedom of the individual.

Sorry for the anonymous posting, but I have to work in an industry where uncomfortable questions about liberal groupthink are not welcome.

I for one completely agree with you about Cat Deeley, and find it weird that she's never been nominated for an Emmy even though Ryan Seacrest has. Cat makes it very clear how much she loves the dancers and the show, making SYTYCD a friendly experience, while Seacrest does not show the same on his program.

And my dearest Anonymous #2: the health insurance mandates force health insurance companies to fulfill their originally stated goals, i.e., actual health care insurance. It doesn't force people to pay for insurance, it forces the companies to give it to them.

VW: inglys. I'm really glad spelling was systematized before English turned into this.

Nice shout-out for Cat Deely. I've been nursing a crush on her for three or four years now -- the accent, legs for miles, fashion fearlessness, goofy, and a quick, open-hearted wit. Boo to Emmy for overlooking her again and again.

I hesitate to add women from one source due to the political leanings of our host. I'm not saying I agree with its the editorial viewpoint or its pundits. But, you can't ignore there are some great women at...

Patty Ann Browne - Should have replaced Jane Skinner instead of Jenna Lee. Only Fox anchor with a gangsta' nickname (Notorious PAB). Always does well when she appears on Fox News' comedy panel show "Red Eye." Did anchor at MSNBC before FNC.

Again, I will accept that Fox News' editorial policy is what it is. And, I'm not asking you to like Bill O'Reilly or heaven forbid Glenn Beck. I am simply putting out for discussion two women who should be in the mix. I will now read my email from the DMC and buy a Prius.

Great to see a shout-out for Gina Bellman--she's the main reason I started watching LEVERAGE in the first place--as it turns out, everybody else is quite good, too.

There must be something in the water over in the British Isles--they turn out funny, beautiful woman in job lots over there. One of my favorite DVD sets is the sketch show MAN STROKE WOMAN with three beautiful, funny women in it (Daisy Haggard, Amanda Abbington, and Meredith MacNiell), also the whacked-out hospital farce GREEN WING where a Scottish actress named Michelle Gomez (yes, Gomez-she was born is Glasgow) was absolutely astonishing as the unhinged executive at a hospital full of unhinged sorts (by the time this character gives birth to a lion cub--it doesn't see all that weird--trust me).

Yeah, Julie Bowen. Like other posters, I think "Ed" was very under appreciated. She played the "girl next door" that got away.

And by the way I notice a lot of beautiful actresses are described as the "girl next door". Up to my high school graduation, we lived in eleven different places, and I never lived next door to a girl that looked like Julie or most of the ones given that label.

I don't think Claire is the "voice of reason" on MODERN FAMILY. Claire is a caricature of the helicopter mom who has no life outside of her family, the un-liberated woman who always lets the man "win" so he can save face. She's played with such humanity that we don't despise her, but she's sure not anything I'd aspire to be.

About KEN LEVINE

Named one of the BEST 25 BLOGS OF 2011 by TIME Magazine. Ken Levine is an Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years Ken has worked on MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, WINGS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BECKER, DHARMA & GREG, and has co-created his own series including ALMOST PERFECT starring Nancy Travis. He and his partner wrote the feature VOLUNTEERS. Ken has also been the radio/TV play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres. and has hosted Dodger Talk on the Dodger Radio Network.

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